Wifi provider: We hope to be “fully functional” by the end of the week

CV Wireless hopes to be fully functional by the end of the week, said the company’s CEO. For the past month, a pair of FM radio signals have been interfering with transmitters located on Rattlesnake Mountain in Willsboro.

WILLSBORO — “Signal not found” isn’t exactly what you want to hear when you’re a small business owner preparing for the scheduled influx of summer guests.

But spotty internet service has one merchant spooked before tourist season is scheduled to kick into overdrive at the end of the month.

The Willsboro Bay Marina is offline, reported Andre Klein, the owner.

For the past month, FM radio signals have been interfering with transmitters installed by the internet service provider, CV Wireless, on Rattlesnake Mountain in Willsboro.

Klein just installed a new point-of-sale system. The blackout has rendered that system partially inoperable, as well as the wholesale wifi packages he buys from the Essex-based provider and resells to some 20 to 30 clients who rent dock space over the summer.

Since the problems surfaced last month, Klein has been relying on a cellphone hotspot. But the escalating data usage makes it a stop-gap measure. And unlike many of the 70 clients affected in Essex, Willsboro, Whallonsburg and Reber, satellite access is insufficient due to data transfer limitations.

“We have no backup option,” Klein said.

While Klein doesn’t anticipate the outage will carry a severe operational impact, it will affect reporting and communications.

“It just makes things harder,” Klein said.

Klein also expressed concern that guests, many of whom work remotely from their boats, would reconsider their choice of marina if the issue wasn’t resolved.

But so far, just one guest has complained.

Klein said he hoped the situation would be resolved by July 1, when business is expected to increase.

“I have nothing but the greatest appreciation for Beth’s hard and diligent work to put it back where it was,” Klein said. “We’re very grateful for her efforts.”

The current FM radio stations, 96.7 (Planet) and 101.3 (ESPN) broadcast from Rattlesnake Mountain.

The level of noise created when both have their transmitters on is strong enough for the FCC to file a judgement against them, Schiller said.

“I will be actively working with them to resolve this problem and hopefully they will work with the community without getting regulatory agencies involved to clean up their issue and allow us to be back on the internet at full capacity quickly,” Schiller said.

At present, the system is on, but not running at full capacity.

While basic functions, including email, should continue to work, don’t count on streaming video.

“I am hopeful that by week’s end, we will have made a change to, at a minimum, lower the noise so that we can be fully functional again,” said Schiller, who thanked clients for their patience. “I feel like we are getting closer to resolution now that the issue is blatantly clear.”